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Tuesday, August 27, 2013

I just didn't want to see that, Topps.

Help! I lost a card! I pulled it quite a while back, actually.

I set it aside with that blogger thought, ahh, a muse item. It's always nice to have a little stack of those.

I remember even setting it in a stack upside down, so I would remember it was that one card I wanted to babble about.

It wasn't a stack of similar cards, I don't think. But since it was upside down, I would surely remember where it was and why it was in that stack, right? Nope.

Now, I've looked all through the wilds of the card desk. Went on quite a journey through there. That was both rather enjoyable, and rather distressing — when, oh when will I ever have time to sort out those stacks of cards? A very busy season at work is fast approaching. Things are good. But oh so many cards to binder up, type into lists, offer to that one blogger I know will want it, etc., etc., etc. And one of those card stacks is starting to resemble a certain tower in Italy. Maybe if I put some stickers up on top, I too can see gravity experiments in action.

So what card is it? Well, if I knew what card it was, it wouldn't be very lost, would it?

I mean I could always just Google it and share it with you curious readers.

I'm not even sure what set it was from. So that space just above this sentence will have to hold a place on the blog rolls for me tonight.

And the strangest thing about this lost card is, I don't want to look at it any more. Ever again, perhaps. Manifestation is a powerful thing, which can be equally bad, or good. There isn't really a way to connect it to baseball cards, but my seeing-a-Moose story from last year is one helluva illustration of that.

Which is the real reason I put it in that stack upside down. I had to save it for this post, but I didn't want to see it again, and that seems to have worked. The back was safe enough, but though I read the backs, the back had nothing to do with all this.

I did manage to find the other card that somewhat goes along with it. I can show these cards safely enough I think. The original would have had to come with a pretty heavy disclaimer/warning, but you are safe from it now. You can quit squinting from behind your palms now. Well, except maybe if you are a Mets fan, you might want to just click the back button on your browser now.

Very sorry about the news today, though it did trigger my search and a short announcement:

No, this isn't another tricky What IS That? post. Not all that much to remark about on this card.

When I look at this card, I focus on the background there, which I'm pretty sure is Detroit's Comerica Park. Topps seems to like pictures shot there, which is just fine by me. That yellow line through them all is very soothing.

I mean I want to look at anything but Jake's left elbow there. I use my arm to make money quite often in my occupation, and sports injuries really do scare me a little bit sometimes. Seeing that ligament plain as day there <shudder>. That just doesn't look natural. A pitcher's scowl isn't even worth a passing glance on a baseball card these days, but McGee certainly doesn't look to be enjoying this pitch.

Turns out, McGee already had Tommy John surgery five years ago. I thought this card was maybe foreshadowing it. I can't say I'm glad to be wrong or right on that.

Good thing I lost that one card. It was way, way worse than that one above. So, please, Topps, spare us wear-and-tear shots. Let's leave those under the uniforms. I know, professional football players have it way worse than baseball payers, quite likely losing 1 to 2 decades of their natural life spans.

My arm hurts just looking at that card. Although that could be from what happened at work on Sunday. I was so looking forward to having fun with a scanner and a pack of cards and thoughts on where that pack came from, but as the commercial says, sometimes life moves pretty fast.

Sunday afternoon I got stung by bees about ten times. Many of the stings were just below each cuff of the short-sleeve shirt I was wearing. This morning my elbows hurt. On the inside. Not a whole lot, but noticeable. Probably not as much as an MLB starting pitcher's might.

So I know the ball players' bodies really do go through a whole lot to entertain us. I'm just not sure I want to be reminded of that on my picture cards.